Review | A timeless film about an old concept
Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti star in “Palm Springs,” a film about two strangers that meet at a wedding and find themselves in a strange, unavoidable situation. Unsplash
Max Barbakow’s “Palm Springs” is a fresh new take on a tale as old as time, quite literally. After pretentious Nyles (Andy Samberg, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) encounters Sarah (Cristin Milioti, “The Wolf of Wall Street”), the troubled maid of honor at her sister’s wedding, tensions escalate as the two can escape neither their past nor present.
Time loop narratives are not a new concept, and have been told in endless variations – consider the cult classic, “Groundhog Day,” or the extraterrestrial fantasy, “Edge of Tomorrow.” And while the layout of this story might draw from its predecessors, “Palm Springs” is hysterical and innovative in its thematic development.
The film is authentic in its romanticized nature as well as thought-provoking and clever, utilizing sound and production design to emphasize both style and subtext within the story. The film fades in with Demis Roussos’ song “Forever and Ever,” immediately encouraging the viewer to associate the movie’s sound as timeless – coincidence?
The tonal lyrics go on: “Ever and ever, forever and ever you’ll be the one,” accompanied by a visual gag of a goat and earthquake, which cinematically plants the predicament the two protagonists will soon find themselves in.
The film opens on a close-up of Nyles being woken up by his whiny girlfriend Misty (Meredith Hagner). What follows is simultaneously one of the most obscure and strikingly hilarious sex scenes I have ever seen. Nyles is too bored by the sex to, at minimum, physically enjoy it. This unconventional moment sets up not only Nyles’ uninterested character, but also the film’s quirky tone. Misty pesters Nyles about his lacking performance, reminding him, “Don’t say it’s, like, the age thing because I’ve had older boyfriends,” while he barely cares to muster a wimpy defense: “It’s the age thing.” Within two minutes of the movie, his characters’ premise, internal and external conflict are swiftly set up.
Upon finding herself in the same dilemma, Sarah goes into requisite shock, an opportunity screenwriter Andy Siara capitalized on to comically explain the harsh rules of her new world. Sarah wants nothing more than to get out of the day she’s stuck in; a silly montage of suicide attempts demonstrates just how fiercely desperate she is to wake up from this nightmare. Though Sarah and Nyles both exude a deep sense of despair, their character arcs rather balance the film’s comedic approach, showcasing the struggle of self as equally relatable and painful.
Samberg and Milioti’s unusual and witty onscreen chemistry takes the classic trope of two people who despise each other before magically falling in love, and flips it sideways. “Palm Springs” explores love, hurt, regret, fear and ultimately the habits we make of them, in a manner that renders a movie about an infinite time loop – timeless.
